1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous casting apparatus with a mold disposed at an oscillating lifting platform as well as possibly a support and guiding provision for the metal bar oscillating in conjunction with the lifting platform and following sequentially to the mold, where the lifting platform is hinged to a spacially fixed support frame via oscillating cranks forming a four bar linkage mechanism and where the lifting platform provides the connecting rod of this four bar linkage mechanism.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A continuous casting apparatus of the kind delineated above is known from the German Patent No. De-C-1,288,249. The oscillating cranks of the known four bar linkage mechanism are directed with their longitudinal axes to the center of curvature of the hollow space of the mold when the mold is disposed at a middle position. At such an alignment of the oscillating cranks the ideal path of the oscillating mold would result if the oscillating cranks were provided with a length corresponding to the radius of curvature of the hollow space of the mold. Since it is impossible to meet such a condition with metal casting apparatus for space reasons, the oscillating cranks have to be provided correspondingly shorter, as is the case with the metal casting apparatus known from the No. DE-C-1,228,249. If the length of the oscillating cranks deviates from the length of the radius of curvature, then deviations from the ideal circular path result for the lower edges of the mold or, respectively, at metal bar guide faces possibly also attached at the mold such as guide, rollers upon oscillating the mold. The metal bar provided with a still thin bar skin shell is more or less strongly loaded by these deviations before the entering into the spacially fixed guide track of the metal bar following sequentially to the mold and the danger exists of bursting of the bar or of generation of cracks.
In order to avoid this danger, the intersection point of the oscillating cranks according to Austrian Patent No. AT-B-260,445 has not been positioned at the center of curvature of the hollow space of the mold, but in a horizontal plane, which on the one hand runs through the center of the hollow space of the mold and which on the other hand runs through the center of curvature of the axis of the path of the metal bar. In fact, the center point of the hollow space of the mold is guided with good approximation along the curved axis of the path of the metal bar, which is provided as the arc of a circle, with an apparatus for continuous casting of this kind. However large deviations of the position of the side walls of the mold from the ideal path of the metal bar also occur at the lower edge of the mold. Also in this case the metal bar skin shell experiences a large mechanical load before entering into the spacially fixed path for guiding the metal bar. Further, a continuous casting apparatus of the kind set forth above is known from Austrian Patent No. AT-B-316,038. This known apparatus for continuous casting is provided with oscillating cranks of unequal lengths hinged to the spacially fixed support frame. In case the mold is in a middle position then the oscillating cranks are parallel to each other. A lateral deviation of a side wall of a mold refers to a displacement from the theoretical or ideal position of said wall. Also in case of this construction a large lateral deviation of a side wall of the mold has to be accepted versus the ideal path of the metal bar.